Man arrested after theft of car with baby inside

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ESCONDIDO, Calif. – An Escondido man was jailed Wednesday on suspicion of stealing a car with a 6-month-old baby inside, police said.

The suspected car thief didn’t make it far and the infant was found unharmed, police said.

Dispatchers received a call from the infant’s mother at 10:06 p.m. Tuesday reporting that her Mercedes-Benz sedan was stolen from outside a 99 Cents Only store at the Civic Center Plaza Shopping Center on North Escondido Boulevard with her 6-month-old child inside, Escondido police Sgt. Suzanne Baeder said.

It wasn’t immediately clear where the mother was when the car was taken or why the baby was left alone in the car.

A short time later, a police officer spotted the car in a parking lot in the 1200 block of North Escondido Boulevard, less than two miles from the shopping center where the car was taken, Baeder said.

As the officer approached, the suspect got out of the car and ran, but he was taken into custody after crossing the street and the baby was found inside the car unharmed, Baeder said.

The suspect, later identified as 31-year-old Anthony Guerrero of Escondido, was booked into Vista jail on suspicion of kidnapping, possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a controlled substance, Baeder said.